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Literary Devices
Literary devices definitions and examples to match.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Allegory | A story in which characters and events represent deeper moral or political meanings. |
| Alliteration | The repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words. |
| Allusion | A brief reference to a well-known person, place, event, or work of literature. |
| Analogy | A comparison between two things to explain or clarify an idea. |
| Anaphora | The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. |
| Antagonist | A character or force that opposes the protagonist. |
| Bildungsroman | A coming-of-age story that focuses on a character’s growth and development. |
| Characterization | The methods an author uses to develop characters and reveal their traits. |
| Flat Character | A simple character with few traits who does not change. |
| Round Character | A complex character with many traits who often changes or develops. |
| Climax | The most intense or important point in a story where the main conflict reaches its peak. |
| Flashback | A scene that interrupts the present action to show events from the past. |
| Foil | A character who contrasts with another character to highlight traits. |
| Foreshadowing | Hints or clues that suggest what will happen later in a story. |
| Hyperbole | An extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or effect. |
| Imagery | Descriptive language that appeals to the senses. |
| In Media Res | A narrative that begins in the middle of the action. |
| Irony | A contrast between expectation and reality. |
| Dramatic Irony | When the audience knows something the characters do not. |
| Situational Irony | When the outcome is different from what is expected. |
| Verbal Irony | When a speaker says something but means the opposite. |
| Metaphor | A direct comparison between two unlike things. |
| Mood | The feeling or atmosphere created for the reader. |
| Onomatopoeia | Words that imitate sounds. |
| Oxymoron | A combination of two contradictory terms. |
| Paradox | A statement that seems contradictory but reveals a truth. |
| Personification | Giving human qualities to nonhuman things. |
| Anthropomorphism | Giving animals or objects human traits fully. |
| Pathetic Fallacy | When nature reflects human emotions. |
| Protagonist | The main character in a story. |
| Pun | A play on words. |
| Red Herring | A misleading clue meant to distract. |
| Rhyme | The repetition of similar ending sounds. |
| Satire | The use of humor or exaggeration to criticize. |
| Setting | The time and place of a story. |
| Simile | A comparison using “like” or “as.” |
| Stanza | A grouped set of lines in a poem. |
| Symbolism | The use of symbols to represent ideas. |
| Theme | The central message of a work. |
| Tone | The author’s attitude toward the subject. |
| "Viewpoint or Point of View" | The perspective from which a story is told. |
| "First Person Point of View" | The narrator uses “I” or “we.” |
| Third Person Limited Point of View" | The narrator knows one character’s thoughts. |
| "Third Person Omniscient Point of View" | The narrator knows all characters’ thoughts. |
| Animal Farm represents the Russian Revolution. | Allegory |
| “Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers.” | Alliteration |
| “He’s as strong as Hercules.” | Allusion |
| “The heart is like a pump.” | Analogy |
| “I have a dream… I have a dream…” | Anaphora |
| The Joker in Batman. | Antagonist |
| To Kill a Mockingbird. | Bildungsroman |
| Describing a character’s actions, thoughts, and dialogue. | Characterization |
| A stereotypical bully in a story. | Flat Character |
| Harry Potter grows and changes over time. | Round Character |
| The final battle in a movie. | Climax |
| A character remembers their childhood. | Flashback |
| Draco Malfoy contrasts Harry Potter. | Foil |
| A dark storm hinting something bad will happen. | Foreshadowing |
| “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.” | Hyperbole |
| “The warm, buttery smell filled the room.” | Imagery |
| A movie starting with a car chase. | In Media Res |
| A fire station burns down. | Irony |
| The viewer knows the villain is hiding, but the hero doesn’t. | Dramatic Irony |
| A lifeguard can’t swim. | Situational Irony |
| Saying “Great job” after a mistake. | Verbal Irony |
| “Time is a thief.” | Metaphor |
| A scary story creates a tense mood. | Mood |
| “Buzz,” “bang,” “crash.” | Onomatopoeia |
| “Deafening silence.” | Oxymoron |
| “Less is more.” | Paradox |
| “The wind whispered.” | Personification |
| Talking animals in cartoons. | Anthropomorphism |
| Rain during a sad scene. | Pathetic Fallacy |
| Katniss in The Hunger Games. | Protagonist |
| “I’m reading a book on anti-gravity—it’s impossible to put down.” | Pun |
| A suspect who seems guilty but isn’t. | Red Herring |
| “Cat” and “hat.” | Rhyme |
| A comedy making fun of politics. | Satire |
| New York City in the 1920s. | Setting |
| “Busy as a bee.” | Simile |
| A 4-line verse in a poem. | Stanza |
| A dove represents peace. | Symbolism |
| “Money can’t buy happiness.” | Theme |
| Serious, humorous, or sarcastic tone. | Tone |
| "“I walked into the room.” or "The Great Gatsby" | First Person Point of View |
| The story follows only one character’s mind. Harry Potter is an example. | Third Person Limited Point of View |
| The narrator reveals multiple characters’ feelings. Watership Down is an example | Third Person Omniscient Point of View |
Created by:
PRO Teacher
nolahomers
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